Specimen
by ZestyDimples
Summary: Akane awoke in bed. But it wasn't really hers. It looked like her bed, felt like it, and resided in a darkened room that looked and felt like her's, but it wasn't.


Akane awoke in bed. But it wasn't really hers. It looked like her bed, felt like it, and resided in a darkened room that looked and felt like her's, but it wasn't.

She knew this, but wasn't particularly bothered by it. Silence engulfed her darkened room, but not the usual sort of silence. Nighttime is often scored by the sounds of wind, trees rusting, light creaks as the house settles, perhaps the nearby train will pass by in the distance or a plane will fly overhead, crickets would chirp, dogs would howl. But here, nothing.

This was because there was nothing really existed beyond this simulacrum. Nothing yet, at least. This world only really contained what it needed at the moment, and it never had a reason to need any of the things responsible for the unique sort of white noise the night would tend to generate. Again, Akane was well aware of this, and again this mattered little to the woman.

She lay near motionless under the covers for several moments, before beginning to count to herself. Silently, almost a whisper. ...Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight... Nine...

 _Tap...Tap...Tap..._

She got to her feet, shivering slightly as they hit the cold hardwood flooring, and made her way to the source of the noise - The window.

At the other end of the glass stood a girl of indiscernible age, although most likely somewhere in her mid-twenties. A single brown eye visible through the bangs of her absurdly long and tangled hair, she peered at Akane, unblinking. The girl wore a button-up coat that seemed several sizes too large for her slender frame, hanging off her pale body like an old bag, and while the coat seemed to have once been a striking black, it had become worn and faded. The girl seemed to wear little underneath, bare legs and dirty feet sticking out the end of the knee-length covering, and planted somewhat awkwardly into the ground outside. She stood, hunched over, a finger rhythmically tapping against the glass with a dirty fingernail.

Akane had no reaction to the girl's disheveled appearance, simply nodding as she unlatched the windowsill and carefully helped the girl in.

* * *

 **The First Night:**

You will dream that you are asleep in your room. You will awake to notice a girl peering in through the window.

 **First Rule:**

You must let the girl in.

* * *

In here, it felt as though no time had passed.

Akane looked at the girl. The girl stared back, before she drew her gaze to the floor.

Shivering slightly, the girl wrung her hands together and began to mutter something. Akane lifted her hand to clasp her shoulder, hold her hand, anything... but stopped herself. Instead she reversed the movement to awkwardly scratch herself on the neck, sighing. She didn't see the girl's eye shoot back up before returning to the ground.

After several seconds, Akane said, "You look tired," taking a few steps toward the bed. She pulled back the comforter before looking toward the girl. The girl hesitated slightly, but eventually accepted the offer, slowly helping herself into the bed.

"Comfortable?" Akane asked, tucking the girl in.

Predictably, no response was heard, however the girl made no effort to protest the gesture, nor did she react when Akane then laid down at her side.

* * *

 **The Second Night:**

The girl is inside your room, but you cannot see her face because of her long hair. She is muttering something. After a while, you will realize she is saying,

 _"Please...Please..."_

 **Second Rule:**

Let her come into the bed, and lie down next to her.

* * *

With the girl's head now resting on the pillow, some of her bangs fell away, giving a clear view of what lie beneath. Akane glanced toward her, before returning her stare to the ceiling. The girl hugged the pillow closer to her face, laying on her stomach.

A minute passed.

"It's okay. I'm here."

She squeezed the pillow even tighter.

* * *

 **The Third Night:**

You and the girl are laying side-by-side. You can now see her face, which has been horribly burnt and scarred to the point of near deformity.

 **Third Rule:**

Do not cry out when you see her face.

* * *

Akane sat up, stretching and rolling her shoulders to try and stave off some of the stiffness. After a few moments of this, she finally climbed out of bed, making her way to the closet. Akane passed the lightswitch of her room on the way, but didn't bother to try it. She knew it didn't work.

Akane give little thought to her outfit, simply grabbing whatever she could find in the darkness. As she began the process of dressing herself, she heard a light rustle from the bed behind her. Satisfied with a simple jeans and t-shirt ensemble, Akane then went up to her dresser and felt for her hairbrush. Unlike the girl, Akane had cut her hair to a short, boyish cut, and thus only really needed to take care of the frizziness without having to worry too much about styling.

Akane then moved to return the brush where she'd found it, only to jump slightly as she felt clammy fingers lightly grip her free hand. She turned her head to see the girl, holding her hand and again staring at her, unblinking. It tooks several seconds to process this, however eventually Akane simply responded with a warm smile, holding up the brush and waving it slightly. The girl slowly nodded, relinquishing Akane's hand. Akane stepped to the side as the girl slid in front of her.

Akane gently ran the brush through the girl's hair, the light of the moon being her only guide as she attempted to unbind the frayed locks. The girl flinched slightly, the brush tugging against a particularly stubborn knot, but seldom reacted beyond this. Akane huffed, slightly annoyed, but continued her procedure without complaint. And thus, the next half hour was spent in amicable silence, the two simply basking in the company of one another.

Once completed with her mission, Akane carefully set the brush back on the dresser. It was now her turn to take the girls hand, felling a light squeeze as their fingers intertwined

"Are you ready?"

The girl nodded, her hair was now tied back into a long braid, allowing Akane to lead them out of the house.

* * *

 **The Fourth Night:**

You get out of bed. The girl will want to go to the park.

 **Fourth Rule:**

Take the girl to the nearest park without saying a word.

* * *

The two arrived at the park in relatively no time, passing a blank wooden sign that marked the location. Like Akane's room, the park was far more silent than one ought to be. Despite the existence of trees, shrubbery, flowers, and other such plant life which visibly creaked in the wind, there was no accompanying rustle. The same could be said for the pond in the distance, the passerby with indecipherable faces, and the pigeons resting lazily on nearby phone-lines. Despite looking real, the illusion was betrayed by the sheer lack of foley. Not even the footsteps of the two girls created sound.

This time it was Akane's turn to avoid the eye of her companion. She reached into her purse, lightly fingering the parcel hidden inside that she had pocketed before leaving the house.

Right on cue, the silence was shattered by the sound of creaking wheels and high heels against the stone walkway. The sound was made by a particular passerby, a middle aged woman pushing a bright pink stroller past the two. The normalcy of it would have been strange, had there been any sort of regularity to the two, however if Akane were to glance up she would have seen the woman sporting the head of a cat, calico this time, and within the stroller a child bore the head of a german shepherd.

But these details mattered little to Akane. Or rather, she preferred not to look up, instead squeezing her eyes shut and charging toward the two, pulling the kitchen knife from her purse and plunging it into the chest of the child in one swift, trained motion.

Despite her attempts to remain emotionless, Akane still felt a deep pit form in her stomach. She always hated this part.

* * *

 **The Fifth Night:**

When you arrive at the park, you will notice a mother pushing her child in a stroller.

 **Fifth Rule:**

You must kill either one of them.

* * *

The two sat by the edge of the lake, watching ducks silently paddling through the water and enjoying a refreshing light breeze blowing past them. The girl had rested her head on Akane's shoulder, and Akane, in turn, having placed her hand upon the shoulder of the girl.

"Are you having fun?"

No response, as usual, but the feeling of the girl shifting ever closer was confirmation enough, and Akane couldn't help but shiver as the girl's breath hit her neck. Again they savored this moment together, and again Akane began to count to herself. Twenty four... Twenty five... Twenty six...

Suddenly, the gentle wind the two had been enjoying was overpowered by a ferocious gust, the robust cry of mechanical engines causing passerby to flee, ducks to scamper from the water, and the long hair of the girl to swirl around erratically, the braid continuously whipping against the face of her companion in a particularly aggravating fashion.

Akane rose to her feet, wordlessly praising herself for getting a haircut, and turned around to face the culprit to this assassination of their peaceful moment: A vast zeppelin with a bright white balloon and no discernable markings landing just past the gate of the park. This really shouldn't have been physically possible, given the sparse square footage of the area, but Akane was beyond questioning things at this point. It could land there because that's where the zeppelin lands, and that's all there is to it.

The girl slowly hoisted herself up, before wrapping her arms around the arm of her escort. There were no words, and yet it was obvious what the girl was trying to say.

 _Don't go..._

Akane glanced back at her, doing her best to look reassuring.

"I'll be back. I promise."

* * *

 **The Sixth Night:**

When you are playing with the girl in the park, an airship will arrive.

 **Sixth Rule:**

Make sure you board the airship on time

* * *

Inside the Zeppelin was a single, circular room, with a ring of seats sitting along the windowed walls, just as blank and featureless as the outside of the vehicle save for a single hatched door. As soon as Akane entered this room, many others appeared at her side, having just entered themselves. Unlike the strange, mannequin-esque bystanders from before, these people were all distinct, living, breathing, and panicking. Without a moment to spare, this group of people exploded into a mess of shouting and flailing limbs, each person scrambling towards the seats.

Akane ducked and rolled past these people, working her way out of the zenith of the chaos and sprinting toward the furthest possible seat at the other end of the room. Glancing to her sides, she saw others had had the same idea as her, but she had no time to argue, no time to throw hands, no time to play fair. It was almost time for takeoff.

Thrusting herself forward, Akane attempted to shake her competition, forcing herself to act purely on instinct. She couldn't allow herself a moment's hesitation. The less-athletic of her opposition began to fall behind, as she gradually generated a lead. Despite the chaos, the only noise present was that of screaming voices, and even those felt oddly distant and muffled even from those only a few feet away. The only truly distinct noise was that of distant footsteps against metallic flooring, each impact reverberating deep within the manic crowd. Each ever so slightly louder than the last. And none belonging to any of the people within the room.

 _Clack...Clack...Clack..._

A mere ten feet from her seat of choice, Akane noticed a woman of slender build but skilled movements began to gain on her. Akane pushed her legs as fast as they could carry her, but this seemed to do little to overpower her competitor. Meanwhile, the disembodied footsteps got closer.

 _Clack...Clack...Clack..._

Akane again felt a deep pit form in her stomach, seeing the woman edging further and further ahead. Seats were filling up, while those remaining traded punches and kicks that left many bleeding and incapacitated. The footsteps grew ever louder, rumbling deep within the hearts of all present like a rollercoaster. Some made their way to the door, trying in vain to pry the hatch open. The two were almost upon what was rapidly becoming the only empty seat in the airship.

 _C͉̎l̙̈ack..̗̊.̘̂C̺͝l̜̈a͈̋c̯͘k..͈͋.͍̚Clac̦̓ḳ̚..._

However, it had been a mistake on the woman's part to sprint so close to Akane's side. As she finally gained a lead, she revealed to her opponent a means of defeat, tied tightly back into a ponytail. Summoning her remaining strength, Akane took hold of the hair and, with both hands, yanked down.

 _Č̠l̹͚̼̀͛̾͟͠ạ͎̊̈ck̛̥̝̓.̧͞.͖̔.̧͂C̨͖̪̮̉͛̂̅l̖̪͉̭͈͌̒̏̿̑a̖̩͖͗̄̾̅͟c̗̊k͓̀́ͅ.̻̘͒̊.̡̛͚̘̭͋͠͡.̡̙̬́́͌C̨̢̛̯̅̒l͙̻̲̯̀̑̅̕a̗͇͉̒͛̾č̙̠̔k͈̦̮̮͑͆͂͠.̤̓.̥̪͇̪͐͌̊̉̉͟_

The screech that followed was enough to leave her ears ringing, but the girl did not allow herself to be slowed by this, throwing the woman behind her and quickly scrambling into the only remaining seat. The woman refused to accept this, grabbing the collar of Akane's shirt and glaring into her eyes a fury that would have shook the hearts of any other, had they not been presently occupied by the rumbling reaching earthquake levels of impact.

"You bi-"

 _ **C͇̆l̢̘̭̲̜̜̲̪͎͎̠͌̽͂̅͐̃̏̓͂̑̚͘͢͟͡ā͟ç̢̬̰̰͉̤̙͓͋̾̿̂̄̾͞͝͠k̡̰͔̜͓̻̍̎͊͆̇͝.̨͍̮̳̠̟͐̽̊̋̄̓̓͟.̢̢̟͎͖̣̭̟̼͇̺͇̔̾̽̄͑͗̈́͆̇͢͝͝͝͠.͔͎̟̟͊͆͗̊**_

All at once, the rumbling ceased. All froze.

And slowly, carefully, the hatch of the door began to turn.

* * *

 **The Seventh Night:**

The airship is full of people just like you.

 **Seventh Rule:**

Find a seat for yourself at any cost.

* * *

"I hate this... I hate this..."

To Akane's left sat a young boy in what appeared to be a rumpled high school uniform. He shivered and muttered to himself, arms tightly hugging his legs to his chest, his head buried within. Most of those on the ship remained silent and unresponsive, either nursing wounds from earlier scuffles or otherwise not having anything to do with anyone else. But it seemed others wanted to establish some form of levity for themselves, engaging in light conversation about their situation. Akane felt it appropriate to join in.

"You've made it this far," She shrugged, "You're going to be okay."

"Hmm."

The boy seemed uninterested in diving deeper into his despair, so Akane decided to try a different approach.

"Where did you hear it?"

"School." The boy trembled, "My friends and I like to meet after hours, tell ghost stories, you know..."

"One of them told the story?" Akane asked, raising an eyebrow. The boy began to tear up.

"I d-didn't have a story that week..." he started, his voice growing hoarse, "I just looked something up along the way... I didn't know that... I never would have..."

He buried his face, sniffing loudly despite the strange distortion the world had put on Akane's peers. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I thought they were sick, but..." He whimpered, "Now I'm..."

"Hey, look at me." Akane asserted, "Look at me." she repeated, more sternly that time.

After a few seconds, the boy raised his head, his face red and awash with tears.

"You're in the final stretch. There's only two days left. You can't give up. Not when you're this close to the end."

The boy sniffed in response, slowly nodding.

"I know, I know..." Almost a whisper.

"Now come on, it's time."

As if on cue, rosebuds, a mix of crimson and obsidian, began to materialize and drift slowly through the open windows.

* * *

 **The Eighth Night:**

After some time, red and black roses will begin to rain down on you.

 **Eighth Rule:**

Throw out only the black roses from the airship.

* * *

Almost the moment Akane's shoes touched the walkway of the park, she felt arms wrap around her. It was the girl, appearing at her side the moment she exited the airship. She had been waiting for her. Akane felt her heart soar at this realization, burying her face into the girl's shoulder as she returned the hug, for once not bothered by the hair pushing into her face.

"I told you I would be okay." She whispered, "Like always."

The hug tightened.

* * *

 **The Ninth Night:**

The airship takes you back to the park.

 **Ninth Rule:**

Go home with the girl and lie down in the bed again

* * *

"...Why...?"

The voice was quiet and shaky, almost a moan.

A minute passed.

After some consideration, Akane decided to settle on something simple and direct.

"I like seeing you."

* * *

 **The Tenth Night:**

You will not know what happens on the 10th day unless you have observed all the rules in the previous days.

 **Tenth Rule:**

Upon completion of the tenth night, you must tell this story to someone while you are awake. Otherwise, you will go back to the first night of the dream.

* * *

 _Ten Nights of Dreams_ is a popular urban legend in various parts on Japan and on the internet. It is said that those who hear of the story may begin to have the same dream within three days.

Of course, if the story is enough to remain on one's mind, it is unsurprising that it would also penetrate the dreams of that person. After dreaming of the first night one may begin to think the story is real, making it even more prominent in their head and creating a potent placebo.

Those acquainted with Ito Akane would never know of this. She never spoke of such things, not even to those closest to her. She was considered a rather down-to-earth, logical person, even if she occasionally seemed lost in thought, though she would never say what of. Because of this, it was particularly strange when, after none had heard from her in some time, she was found in her apartment. Not dead, but instead fast asleep. It appeared as though she had been like this for weeks, and yet her body showed no signs of dehydration or malnutrition.

Despite their best efforts, none were able to awaken her, and thus she spent the remainder of her days as a mystery the local hospital was hellbent on solving. They still thought it was a coma when, at the age of 82, Akane passed away in that hospital.

Her last words, in a low mumble, mere moments before the heart monitor went flat:

"I love you."


End file.
